What Happened?
by WybiE'z KidNapPer
Summary: How did the School's Golden-Boy nerd turn into a clueless beatnik? How did posh little rich girl come to be friends of the lower class? How did the School bully become the most friendly guy the town had ever seen? How did the angry little outcast learn to get a social life? And how did a lost puppy come to find the most important people in his life?
1. Nerd In The Mud

**Okay so my last Scooby Doo story that I was working on sucked banainai. So I'm doing what any self-respecting author would do...**

**Trash the garbage and write something else!**

**Exaggerated yaay.**

**Anyways, random idea but it just came to me whilst drawing so yeah. Also I saw a picture of a young Shaggy on Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue so that was a big inspiration :3**

**Enjoy.**

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Small hands clasped onto two pieces of string before tying the two in a neat and tidy bow. Books were piled high next to the owner of the bow, loose pieces of paper hanging loosely from the small space between pages. A young boy stood up from his spot on the bottom step of the stairs and straightened himself up. He de-creased his clothes, and pushed his small framed glasses further up his nose.

He took one last look in the mirror to see if he was decent enough to leave his home. He went through his check list just to make sure; Clothes - Smart. Hair - Clean and tidy. Teeth - Squeaky clean.

Everything was perfect, just how he ought to be. Even so, he may have been dressed correctly, but there was no smile between his freckly cheeks. That was the most important feature his mother told him years ago. Something his father didn't seem to care too much for.

Deciding that it wasn't important, the young boy picked up his books and notes before placing them neatly in his bag and then placed the bag over his shoulder, using only one strap.  
He placed his hand upon the door handle and opened the door slightly.

His action was quickly interrupted though, as a larger, much stronger hand slammed against the cold wood and clasped the door shut in one quick motion.

The boy let out breathless yelp and jumped at the sudden motion. He quickly turned around to be faced with a much older man wearing a smart suit. His dark brown hair was gelled back perfectly and his smile had a dazzle in it. Or it would if he had a smile upon his tanned face.

"Norville Rogers!" The older man sneered, removing his hand from the door. The young boy looked up at him as he folded his arms in the disapproving manner, a notion Norville saw a lot. "Yes dad" he squeaked nervously. He had checked everything, his hair, his clothes... What could his dad be mad about? He never cared about the smiling thing so it couldn't be that.

Finally, the young boy got his answer as his father grabbed his bag from his shoulder and held it up close to his face. "What did you think you were doing?" the man yelled. Norville gulped instantly, "I-I dunno... I just had it on my shoulder" he mumbled timidly. His hand grabbed at his arm where he scratched himself nervously. A habit his father also disapproved of, which he showed by grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him closer with more force then was needed. "When will I finally stop needing to tell you? You use both straps on both shoulders!" Mr. Rogers snapped, ruffly placing the backpack on his son's shoulders in the proper manner. Norville looked down and sighed.

Mr. Rogers noticed it and pushed the child's shoulder harshly, knocking Norville back a few steps. "You should be grateful you twerp. Now you don't look like one of those good for nothing beatniks" he hissed.

The ten year old frowned at the floor. He wouldn't dare look up at his father, "But everyone laughs at me" he whispered under his breath quietly. It was too quiet for his father to hear, just as he had hoped for, as the man opened the front door and pointed towards the outside world.

"Don't you dare be late for School" Mr. Rogers threatened. Norville didn't bother to protest, there was no winning with his father. So he did as he was told and stepped out into the warm sunny day.

He tried to begin his walk down the path, only to have his father's hand grasp down onto his shoulder once again. Stunned, he looked up to see Mr. Rogers waving to the neighbors who were out relaxing in their gardens. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Redgrave" he called cheerfully. Norville rolled his eyes as the couple called back enthusiastically, buying every word his father said to them.

After they each said their final words, Mr. Rogers knelled down and looked his son in the eyes. "Have a great day son, I love you" he said, a lot louder then he needed to, before he leaned it and planted a kiss on Norville's cheek, much to the boy's disgust. As his father stood up, Norville wiped his cheek with his sleeve before muttering a goodbye and racing down the path.

A young red haired girl skipped along the pavement happily. Her purple dress flew with the soft breeze while her hair somehow stayed perfect. Her small purple purse strap was over her shoulder as she skipped along, the heels on her white boots clanking against the concrete.

She remained that way for a while as she passed the many number of large, privet owned houses, each one looking less expensive then the last. Her house was the one at the very top of the street, the biggest of all houses, with it's own pool and labyrinth styled garden.

Still, all of that meant much more to her parents then it did to her. Although she was quite fond of her pony, that she would admit to. Other then that though, she wasn't too fussy. Not like a lot of other kids she knew of around this town. Selfish, greedy, horrible towards other people... The red head may be young, but she was wise enough to see the result of spoiled rich kids pushing around the other kids simply because they didn't like what they saw. Daphne Blake had seen it first hand with her best friend, she had seen the kind of hurt that it brought someone, and she swore that she would never let herself get completely spoiled like that.

Daphne looked at her diamond covered watch and read out the time to herself. She then looked up to see a young boy in beige pants and a green stripy polo shirt, tucked in of course, walking down the path ahead of her.

The red head smiled widely and quickened her pace to join him. "Norville!" she cried out with her arms spread wide open, catching the boys attention.

The said boy didn't have a moment to turn his head as a body, no bigger then his, crashed down on him, grabbing him in a tight bear hug. "Gah Daphne cut it out" he whined, wiggling his way out of her grip. The red head giggled to herself as she watched his attempts to straighten out his clothes. "You know my dad will kill me if I come home like this" Norville explained while tucking his shirt back in.

"But I hate those clothes. I'm sorry but those pants and that shirt just don't go" Daphne complained dramatically. Norville frowned, "My dad told me to wear it" he muttered miserably, straightening out his backpack, straps on both shoulders. The young girl shrugged before the two continued walking down their path. "Do you have to do everything your dad tells you?" the girl questioned, though to Norville it sounded more like a lecture. "Yes I do" he huffed, sick of repeating himself. "But why?" she pressed on. Norville turned to face her, "Because I'm only ten years old" he moaned loudly.

"So? I'm nine years old and I don't do a thing my dad tells me to do" she laughed. Daphne's eyes widened with joy as she saw a small, goofy smile spread across her friends face. Recently she had to wait a lot longer in the day to see one of them. It was truly a rare sight.

Sadly it was short lived as the two children were pushed onto the floor by a passing bicycle. "What was that?" Norville asked, placing a hand to his head. Daphne was about to reply, before someone beat her to it.

"Hey if it isn't Beauty and the Geek!"

Daphne and Norville didn't need to look to know who it was, that didn't stop them though. What they saw was a young blonde boy on a red bike and wearing an orange ascot. They knew perfectly who this was. "Fred Jones! What are you doing?" Daphne yelled angrily. Fred simply laughed at her, putting his feet back on the peddles and moving his bike slightly forward. "What's it look like? I'm taking out nerds!" he yelled wildly, whilst spinning his bike around before skidding through a puddle, mud splashing all over Norville.

The two children stared at each other in shock before watching the blonde ride away, leaving a trail of laughter.

Daphne grabbed Norville's arm and helped him off the ground. He didn't thank her though, his mind was to fixed on the mud. "What am I going to do?" he gasped, grabbing as his usually smoothed down hair, which was now sticky and dirty. "It's going to be okay Norvie" she said, trying to reassure him, but he wasn't listening. "I'm completely covered in dirt. My dad's gonna kill me if he finds out!" he shook his head frantically, "I-I can't go home like this! I just can't" he cried, trying to rub as much mud off as possible, ignoring the red head as she tried to say something.

Daphne grabbed his arms and shook him frantically, "Calm down!" she yelled loudly, finally getting his attention. "There's a hosepipe in my garden, we have enough time to go back and use it" she smiled reassuringly. Norville simply gulped as the girl grabbed his hand and lead him back down the road, praying that his dad wouldn't notice as they passed his house.

Feeling the wind flowing through his hair, Fred cheered and raised his palm up high, as if attempting to grab the attention of the entire world. "Whoooo! Check this out!" he cried, doing a few tricks with his bike.

He only simmered down when noticing a young girl walking ahead of him. She had thick framed glasses on and was carrying a high pile of books in her hands. The blonde's smile grew deeper as he peddled faster.

Soon it wasn't long before he had rode up to the side of the younger girl and pushed her to the ground, letting paper and books fly about everywhere.

The young girl yelped as she felt the hard concrete meet with her bottom. Her glasses had fallen off her face, so with a frantic hand she felt around. "My glasses!" she cries out until eventually she found them and placed them back upon her face. Her vision was once and clear, and just in time to see the older blonde boy ride down the path. "You idiotic freakwad!" she yelled angrily before picking up her books and carrying on her journey to School.

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**Chapter one done. Booya. **

**Anyway, just so you know I am going to be using Shaggy's real name for a lot of the chapters. I think it will only be near the end, if not then the last chapter where Shaggy get's his nickname. If his real name annoys you then tuff! Hahahaha...**

**Lol I'm just kidding. I have a reason for this anyway, so bare with.**

**If you would like to see chapter 2 then please let me know in the reviews as they are a real kick in the butt for updating.**

**Thank you x**


	2. Their The Lucky Ones

**Update... Yay.**

**Enjoy and thanks for the reviews :)**

**P.S I am not bashing on public Schools, I went to one and it was really good... the students however, not so much :/  
**

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The young girl with glasses kept her head down as she carried on the rest of her way to School. Her books were gripped tightly in her hands while her teeth scrapped together with an unhealthy sound. Her anger was something well known throughout her neighborhood, as well as her School also. Which was why it came as no surprise when a few older students passed by her and decided to point and laugh.

"Check it out! It's the queen of the dorks, Velma Stinkly!" the two girls cried before bursting into laughter and carrying on their way.

Velma stared at them, her nostrils flaring and her cheeks getting redder. "My name is Velma Dinkly you snobs! One day you'll be sorry" she cried out, completely enraged.

The two girls waved her off as if she was nothing and left her by herself. Velma could only watch, her anger getting more and more worked up until she started muttering to herself. "Jealous... You're just jealous!" she screamed after them as loud as she could before walking the opposite way.

As she walked however, she heard the sound of a bicycle bell ring. Before she even had time to take a look, she felt herself once again being thrown to the ground and her books flying everywhere. "Hey!" she cried out and looked at who was on the bike. What she found however was nothing more then an eye sore to her as she recognized the familiar face of a certain blonde.

"Oh man, three nerd in one day, I am on a role!" Fred Jones cheered out, before looking down at the angry girl he pushed over. He took a moment to think as he realized she looked familiar. "Hey, you're that nerd I knocked over before. Did you have a nice trip?" he laughed before riding off and leaving her on the ground.

"You jerk!" Velma cried out again. Just as before, she picked herself up along with her books and carried on with her walk.

After doing so, and finally laying eyes on her School, her heart quickly sunk. She watched as students pushed each other, throw their books on the ground and run around the building screaming like animals. If there was one thing that made Velma angrier then anything else, it was that she had to go to a School like this. The lowest of low public Schools there were.

The girl with the glasses sighed as her focus soon settled to the side of the School, just beyond a few tress in the distance. One of the towns finest private School's where only the rich and successful enroll their children. She had lost count of the times she had begged her parents to let her go there instead, but they just don't have the money for it.

It shouldn't matter anyway! She was a genius! An eight year old genius which any School should be proud to have on their enrollment list. Not that those illiterates would realize it anyway, she thought before storming back off to her School, leaving her dreams behind. The people who went to that private School were the lucky ones.

**XxX**

"Mr. Rogers, why are you soaking wet?" echoed the bombastic voice of the elderly teacher, known as Mrs. Melloney, as Norville and Daphne quietly tried to sneak their way into their classroom without being noticed. Sadly is was an effort made in vain as the two were now made center of attention in their small uptown classroom. Norville could only shift his feet as he tried to avoid the looming stares that seemed to paralyze him. Daphne felt quiet the same, despite that it wasn't her name that was being called to attention.

The old woman, grew impatient. She rested her hand on her hip and placed the other hand on the table before raising her brow, "Well, speak up" she pushed.

Finally the boy remembered how to use his voice as he reached for the back of his neck and scratched an invisible itch. "I fell in some mud so Daphne used a hosepipe on me" he explained shyly. The teacher stood up with disapproval in her face, while the other children around them laughed at his misfortune. "Miss Blake! Is this true?" Mrs. Melloney cried out with nothing more then disappointment in her ever stretching eyes. To Daphne she looked like someone had just told her that bingo was officially outlawed. Luckily she knew better then to say that out loud, instead she clasped her hands together and stared up with big apologetic eyes, a look Norville already knew to be fake. "Sorry Miss" the redhead started.

"I mean really. You both show up late for a start, but then you admit to acting like... animals!" she said as dramatically as she could sound. Norville and Daphne exchanged a glance at each other, the redhead biting on her lips to stop herself from laughing while the boy was finding a way to hide his worry of their potential punishment.

"Although, I suppose I couldn't let you off with a warning. Issuing a detention could take a moment and I would much prefer to carry on with a lesson" she finished, much the two's relief. She stretched her arms out towards the chairs and motioned for them to take a seat. "Everyone set up your desks, and we shall begin" Mrs. Melloney announced, before turning back to her black board and carrying on as before.

As she did so, the rest of the class took that moment to grab a pencil and pen before turning to their friends and commence the morning chatter.

A few girls in the front of the classroom waved for Daphne to come join them, impatient with her current absence. The redhead waved back with a big smile before grabbing Norville's, still wet, arm. "I'm gonna hang out with my friends for a while. I'll meet you outside the gates after School okay?" she cheered.

Before Norville could even reply, she had let go of his arm and left him standing alone. "O-okay" he replied weekly, before shyly making his own way to his seat, at the very back of the classroom.

"Guess he really is a drip" he heard one of his class mates say as he did so. With a sigh, Norville looked away from the rest of the students, and decided to focus his mind on something else. He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his School books. As he did so however, his heart skipped a beat as he saw something drop out from between the pages. He quickly picked it back up and shoved it straight into his bag, he looked around to make sure nobody had noticed. He should have known better though, it's not like anyone ever noticed him unless he was being picked on or shoved in a locker.

Still, at least he had that in his favor. If anybody had seen that comic book fall to the ground, or worse if the teacher had seen it, the news would have gone straight to his dad. Then he'd be in for it. Sadly Mrs. Melloney and his father had very smiler principles and ideas, and one of those ideas was that comic books were a waist of time. Oh how he hated this stupid posh School.

Norville soon found his attention being drawn to the window next to him. Just outside, beyond a few trees, he could see the Coosville Public School just in the distance. A School were you didn't have to uphold your parents reputation, or parade around in ridiculous 'smart outfits', or better just a place where you could be free.

Norville sighed inwardly and took off his glasses, placing them down on the table. It wasn't as if he desperately needed them as he continued to look out the window. He'd give anything to be out of this snob-enrollment School, and just to lead a normal, simple life instead. Sadly with his father's new campaign to become Coolsville's news Mayor, he doubted that was going to happen anytime soon.

Mrs. Melloney's voice once again rang out, leaving the classroom to quieten down. "Now children, we are going to explore the fantastic world that is Shakespeare" she cheered happily, holding up the English book for the students to see what they were working on. "Now, everyone write the date and title, and take notes as I read you a passage of one of his famous sonnets" she beamed before sitting down at her desk.

Everyone did just as was told. However, after copying the date and title down in his book, the teacher's voice boomed out once again, "Remember children, handwriting must be in cursive."

Norville blinked once before grunting to himself and crossing out his date and title before starting again. His mind returned to the public School he saw before, he bet they didn't have to write in cursive!

One thing was for sure though, the people who went to that public School were the lucky ones.

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**Boom how the tables had turned :D**

**I finally decided to have this set in the world of Coolsville. Somethings might not be accurate, but meh. This is my story so :P**

**Hope you enjoyed and reviews are always welcomed.  
**


	3. Keeping Up Apperance

**Okay, I really need to get this story going somewhere. I know I've only done 2 chapters but it feels like I've been writing 10. Maybe it's because I keep switching stories when it comes to updating, I dunno, anyway, on with the story :D**

**By the way, if you don't know who Groovy Don is, then he was Scooby's first owner in Shaggy and Scooby Doo get a clue. Hope that clears a few things up :P  
**

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There weren't many people hanging around at the park today. It was around that time when all the kids were in School, and the adults were either at work or just hanging around at home. All this was just a lucky break for Groovy Don as he parked his rusty car up to the curb. It was rare for him to come to the main square of Coolsville, but then, it was even rare for him to just leave his home trailer, just outside of town. However, the old hippie had a task to do, and for once he wasn't going to let his laziness get in the way of that.

Groovy Don looked out of the window on the other side, though it was hard considering the window was just a clear sheet with tape after the sides. Despite the musky image, he saw that no one was about and so got out of his car. He kept an eye out for anyone as he walked to the trunk, that was held down with rope.

He undid the note that kept the lid down and lifted it effortlessly. As soon as the sun filled light in the dark space, Groovy Don was met with the same annoying noise that kept him up all night. The constant yapping of small puppies.

There were seven all together, each one as excited and playful as the other as they roamed about in their little box. Each one was looking for a way out, climbing over each others heads and calling for someone to help them.

Groovy Don simply snarled as he watched them, little wastes of space he thought. He picked up the box and threw it to the sidewalk, not caring if any of the pups got hurt. He didn't even watch as the pups cried out from the impact. All he did was walk to the back seats of the car, knowing that even if he did look at them, all of the pups would have scrambled away within the second, not leaving a trace left.

It wasn't important though, not as important as what was in the back seat anyway. Not by a mile.

Groovy Don smiled wildly to himself as he opened up the back door. "Hey little buddy" he grinned as his eyes laid upon the small, whimpering pup. He looked no different from his brothers and sisters, over then that he had a tag clipped into his ear, and he definitely wasn't cheerful and happy. He backed up to the over side of the car as soon as Groovy Don opened the door.

The said man looked at the lead that had kept the brown pup still the whole journey, only this time it wasn't attached to his collar, which was something seriously new. "Hey like you'd you get your lead off man?" he questioned while picking up the lead and staring at the quivering pup. It was all silent before Groovy Don shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever, I guess those dudes in white coats can explain when we get there. Come here little fuzz ball" he smiled darkly while reaching his hand out to the Great Dane. The pup's eyes shot wide with fear as the hand closed in on him. He could see the door was wide open all he would have to do was...

The dog didn't waist anymore time, as soon the hand closed around his small frame, he clamped his teeth into the mans flesh, and drug in as far as he could.

Groovy Don screamed and pulled his hand away from the animal, he was in such a shock that as he tried to pull out from the door, he banged his head on the roof, causing him more pain.

As soon as he was distracted, the pup raced across the seat and leaped out of the car. He ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could, not daring to look back just in case. As he ran though, he could hear his owner calling for him, and he sounded more then just angry. The pup had to get away.

He didn't need to look back to see if Groovy Don was far behind or not, he could tell by just how loud the man was yelling, and he could tell that he was catching up. The Dane only had one option and it was risky, but it was better then going back to that lab place.

"Get back here!" Groovy Don snarled loudly before coming to a stop. He watched with horror as his dog ran out onto the busy motor way, which was full of cars coming at each direction. Not only that but he hadn't realized how far from the park they had ran as he was now surrounded with people walking all around, each one trying to walk past him without picking up his bad smell.

Groovy Don scanned everywhere, but no matter where he looked, he just could not find that pup. He wasn't on the side walk, he wasn't on the roads, he even asked people as they walked by if they had seen a Great Dane puppy, but no one had.

He was completely gone.

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_The young countess, dress in the finest silk, walked among the rocky stare case of the castle basement, her only light being formed by the fire of the candelabra she was holding. She gazed about the deep black hole below her, not a single breath could be heard, other then the frantic ones of her own. She was afraid, and she was alone, or she thought._

_The stairs soon came to an end and she had to descend to the ground. She could only walk on and search the darkened room. She cried out for anyone, praying for the reply of her missing husband. Such a response she did not get. Instead her reply was in the sound of dripping, much like the dripping of a water tap. She felt one of the water drips land upon her cheek, sending her to a temporary state of shock. She wiped the small drop from her face with her gloved hand and held it close to the candle.  
_

_Her breath was caught tight in her chest as she saw the redness of the drop. She held the candelabra high above her head, to where the drop had come from. She was left with nothing more to do other then scream for help, as she saw her missing husband hanging from the ceiling-  
_

"Hey lameo what'cha doing?" a husky arrogant voice called out, causing Fred Jones to flinch in horror as he realized he had just been busted.

"Woaw, your reading a book?" The fat boy with red hair and freckles yelled out, pointing at the novel in Fred's hands, as if it was the most disgusting thing in the world and putting Fred in the spotlight as the rest of their group walked up to the two.

"Yo Red, let's have a look" One of the other lads called out. Red Herring laughed before snatching the book from the panicking blonde and throwing it to the other guys.  
"Hey check it out, it's called 'Loves Mystery Loss'" Red pointed out, snatching it back once the others had a look. "Dude that is totally lame" they laughed, opening the book and each reading out sentences in fake voices.

Fred bit his lip in desperation and embarrassment, knowing that the only way this situation could get worse was if he pointed out that none of them were reading the words right. Luckily a plan formed in his head, meaning that his reputation wasn't going to get beaten to a pulp, much like his face.

"Yeah dudes, it's completely pathetic" Fred said as loud as he could, getting the attention of his friends. "I totally stole it today when I was taking out nerds. One of 'em was reading this trash so I stole it out her hands before she went off crying. I was looking at it to see how much of a looser that girl was, and man she is a total looser" Fred smiled forcefully.

All of his mates laughed along with him, some slapping him on the back for being top dog. "Dude I bet it was that Dinkly girl, she's always reading mystery trash like this" one guy said aloud. Red Herring turned to Fred, "Yeah, I bet it was. Was it her Jones?" he asked.

The blonde laughed nervously, "Yeah it was totally her" he said, leading the group into their fit of laughter as they picked on the girl who wasn't even there to defend herself. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as they did so, he may have been mean to her earlier but this time she hadn't done anything and she was getting abuse for it. Still, there was no way he was going to clear her name, not now anyway.

Instead he grabbed the book back from his best friend and laughed along with the others, "Yeah well, the reason I'm keeping it is because I'm gonna burn it then leave the rest of it on her door step tomorrow" Fred announced before shoving it back in his bag and zipping it tight, making sure the boys didn't see his other books in there.

"Awesome dude. Come on, there's like only one period left in School, let's blow this joint and hang out at the park or something" Red grinned as he and the boys got on their bikes. Fred did just as they did but instead rode in a different direction, "You guys go ahead, I'm gonna go home and burn stuff. Sides, I'm my mum asks me why I'm home early, I'll just tell her she's fat and to lay of the cookies. She'll be crying so hard she'll forget I was there" he laughed as he waited for the others to leave.

They all did so, laughing as they rode down the path. "You're totally cool Jones" Red grinned at him before joining the other lads.

Fred watched them leave, until they were nowhere to be seen. He sighed inwardly to himself, before getting off his bike and placing on back in the bike stand. Not only did he feel bad for that girl, but now he felt guilty for what he said about his mum. He loved her to bits, and she was so caring as well. He didn't mean to be horrible but it just came out.

Still he had to get away from his friends, he did not want to risk loosing those books in his bag. He was just lucky before.

With those thoughts in his head, Fred walked through the School doors and made his way to his lesson.

* * *

It wasn't that long until the School bell rang and everyone would be free to go home. With it being a Friday as well, the teacher had decided to be kind, seeing as how everyone had finished their work, she had allowed for the last ten minutes to be free time.

Every one in the classroom had taken advantage of this to do their own thing. Usually this just meant talk with their friends as they whole classroom with filled with the sound of chatter, much like the start of their day. Everyone moved seats so they were with their friends and just talked about anything that came to mind. All apart from one person, whose free time was actually a time for studying.

As Daphne glanced around the room, her eyes laid upon the golden boy who had his head deep into a study book, looking as miserable as ever. She couldn't help dropping her shoulders and giving a sigh. She felt so sorry for him, especially when she saw a few of the other lads laugh at him in their own personal conversation, as if it was any of their business. It's not like any of them even know what was going on with him, if they did she was sure they wouldn't be laughing so much. Did everyone really think that he wanted to study in his free time? Who does? It was all his dad's idea, and all he does is go along with it.

Daphne had wanted to point that out to people for such a long time now, but he had made her promise not to. All she could do was try to ignore it as best she could and hope things get better with time.

"Daphne! Hello?"

"Huh, what?" the redhead said when hearing her name. She turned back around to see her friends waving their hands in her face. "Oh sorry Daisy, what were you saying?" she asked bashfully. Daisy and their other friends shared a look before turning their attention back to Daphne, each having their own teasing look upon their faces. "Were you looking at Norville?" Daisy asked cheekily. Daphne's cheeks flushed as soon as the other girls started giggling, "W-what, no I was not" she defended. "Oh please, you totally have a crush on him" their friend, Hannah, commented. The redhead stuck out her tongue out, as if repulsed by what she said, "Ew no way, he's my best friend, it would be completely weird" she said while folding her arms. The others just laughed at her, making her feel smaller then a pin.

"Hey, less talk of nerds, more talk of cool people. Daphne, you coming to the slumber party tonight?" Daisy asked, though she looked like she already knew the answer. Daphne's face lit up at first at the idea, until a thought came to her, "Sorry I can't, I promised Norville we'd walk home and hang out today."

This was not the answer Daisy was expecting. "Oh come on" she and the other girls moaned, "And you say you don't have a crush on him."

Daphne was quick to loose her temper as she yelled at them, "I do not, he's my best friend and I promised." Despite the loudness of her voice, no one else in the classroom seemed to care for what she was saying.

"Well what about us, we're your best friends too" Hannah argued. "Yeah you always put him before us, just tell him you can't make it. Please?" Daisy added. Daphne had to take a moment to just get herself calm again, for one thing she hardly ever put Norville first because her friends always seem to push into doing their thing, but still, it did seem like fun. "I don't know" she sighed, not wanting to disappoint anyone, though she knew that wasn't possible.

Daisy smiled widely, "Come on, my dad even hired a hairdresser for the night" she bribed. Daphne's face lit up once more, how could she say no to that?

"Okay I'll go" she agreed, much to the delight of her friends. The redhead had to admit though, she didn't feel as good as she came across as.


	4. Moment of Freedom

**I was supposed to be updating The Darkest Lake, but sadly I have the case of writers block for that one, so I'm updating this story instead :)**

**That's pretty much it... Enjoy**

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The hour was finally up and the bell eagerly rang. Not one room was quiet as all the students grabbed their bags and things and made a dash for the door. It was the weekend and everyone was in a rush to go home and enjoy it.

Daphne had waited with her friends, none of them wanted to go out in the rush for fear of being pushed and messing up their look. Still, despite being behind everyone they all made it out perfectly fine, not a strand of hair out of place. They all walked to the gates with their arms linked, forming a chain while Daisy waved at her mothers driver, signaling that they were coming.

"Let's go" the girl cried out excitedly while pulling the others to the car. Daphne laughed along as she followed, until she suddenly remembered something important.

She looked to the gate, and just as she suspected, Norville was there waiting for her, and he looked the exact same way he did the last time this happened; hurt.

"Daphne come on" she heard her friend call, not taking much care as to what was going on. Daphne found herself fretting about, "Just one second" she said before rushing her way towards him. Her effort was in vain however as her laughing friend rushed up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the car.

The redhead gazed at her best friend pitifully, all she could do though was to mouth an apology, praying he would understand. It only added to her guilt though, as he simply shrugged and smiled at her, though it barely just passed for a smile.

Norville understood completely.

Just as he understand when Hannah had sudden Birthday party, and when Vicky wanted them all to go to the cinema, or just when Daisy thought it would be nice for them to hang out together, despite that they spend the entire day together. Every day Daphne would tell him to wait for her by the gate, and every day he did, and they would meet up and walk home together, but those were just his lucky days, when Daphne didn't have any plans made instead.

He understood completely.

Norville watched as the car drove away, Daphne waving sadly goodbye to him through the back window. He still waved back though. He wasn't mad at her, he never was. He just accepted it as it was and delt with the matter.

On that note, seeing that no one else was around, the ten year old dropped his bag off and adjusted it so that it rested comfortably on just one shoulder before making his way down the path that lead to his way home.

His glasses were in his bag, his hair had started to fall out of place and he untucked his shirt. There was no one around to see him be sloppy and he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.

Sadly he knew how short lived it was going to be. The School was fairly close to his street, just about a mile down. He knew it wouldn't be long until he had to tuck in his shirt and make himself 'presentable' as his father would say. He would even have to put on his glasses. He hated them! He hardly needed them anyway, he was short sited yes, but that just meant that far away words were blurry. They had no use to him whatsoever, but his dad wanted him to wear them anyway, as they made him look more intelligent apparently.

He and everyone else thought he looked stupid.

It wasn't long until Norville noticed he was at the park. It was pretty much in the center of the public square, Coolsville was a small city and this was the main place to go. Everything pretty much revolved around here.

Despite being the place to go, there weren't that many people around the park today. It was probably because it was a dump if anything. Most of the benches around were broken or dirty, and people seemed to prefer hanging in a shop or the arcade.

Luckily this meant that there was no one to notice him and he could make his journey home in peace. Well he almost could have, if it wasn't for the older boys on their bikes hanging around the path he took to go home. "Oh boy" he mumbled to himself before quickly hiding around the corner of one of the buildings.

He didn't want anyone to see him looking a mess in fear of word getting back to his dad, who was pretty well known around this town as being the ex-Sheriff, though he would gladly walk into a shop and do the chicken dance if it meant not having to deal with these guys.

They were the lads from that public School that was just a town away from his School. He knew all about that place, sure it had freedom, but damn it was ruff.

Despite knowing what would happen if he arrived home late, Norville knew that he had no real other option. It was either be yelled at or get beaten up. The latter, he didn't not choose.

With a daring gulp, Norville quickly shot down the street and turned in the opposite direction of home. Luckily none of the lads had even noticed him as he was quickly down the road and out of sight. He blew a breath of relief before attempting once again to go home. Granted it was a long way now, he would have to walk all the way around the estate and go through his back garden, but he didn't mind. He was a pretty strong runner, so walking would be nothing. Plus it gave him more time to enjoy what little freedom he had.

As he continued following the trail he made out for himself, Norville couldn't help but realize how much of a ghost town this place was. Coolsville had a pretty high population number, but there seemed to be hardly anybody about. He always thought it was strange, it was like people were scared to be outside or something. Or maybe everyone was just so involved in their jobs that nobody took the time to just wonder about anymore-

His thoughts suddenly stopped, as did the rest of him. Norville forced himself to be as quiet as possible as he looked around, waiting eagerly as he did so.

"Hello" he called out nervously. He had heard a strange noise, and this time he was positive it was real. "Hello!" he called out again, a little louder this time. Finally he got a replay, a small high pitch whine.

He gasped inwardly, knowing that the noise was coming from one of the alleyways across the road from him. Usually Norville was told to keep away from anything that seemed strange, but this was his small time of freedom, and he wanted to see who it was. They sounded like they could be in pain or something.

He had a small case of butterflies in his stomach as he checked both ways before crossing the road and running to the small alleyway where the noise was. If whatever it was was hiding from someone, then they sure picked the right spot. Norville had to hold his nose from the horrible smell of garbage and midnight partying. "Hello?" he cried once again, hoping to find this thing quickly and go home to take a bath. There was no way he was going to let his father find out he had been into an alleyway, or he had walked the long way home, alone for that matter.

Noville's ears quickly picked up and a smile rose to his face as he heard the small whimper once more. He walked deeper into the shadows until he stood next to a small trash can, filled to the brim with junk. The smell was even stronger now and Norville was in two minds where to just leave or not. The smell was quickly forgotten though as his eyes wondered to behind the trash can and gazed upon the shivering pup that hid fearfully behind it.

Instantly the boy dropped his backpack to the ground carelessly and fell to his knees. His mouth was slightly opened in awe, which soon turned into a little smile as he watched the pup stare right at him with big wet puppy dog eyes.

"Hey little buddy" Norville smiled softly, he held out his hand towards the small Dane, who backed away instantly. "Don't be scared, I wont hurt you" he cooed, reaching his hand further out to the pup. He let his hand hover through the air invitingly, catching the pups curiosity. The small animal was hesitant, but soon found his tiny paws walking closer towards the boy before sniffing his hand carefully.

A small laugh escaped through Norville's mouth as the pup eventually licked his hand playfully. Figuring the animal felt safer now, he pushed his over arm to the pup and grasped him around his ribs and with a lot of effort, lifted him from the ground.

Finally the boy could stand up, as kneeling down was starting to become a pain, he brought the heavy pup with him and held him in his arms. The small dog looked stunned for a moment as he felt the boy holding him close as carefully as he could. It was hard to get a grip though as the pup was the same size as the child's torso.

Norville could only laugh as the pup placed his front paws onto his chest and pushed himself up so he could lick his chin, despite making him slip every so often. "Hey come on, I know where your tongue has been" he joked while balancing the pup in one arm and scratching his head with his free hand. However, he paused for a moment when he felt the small yellow tag that had been pierced through the animals ear.

"What's this?" he asked himself before reading it. His eyes grew wide as he realized why this pup had been hiding. Despite being heavy, he held the small dog out in front of his so they could be face to face, "Your from a Science Lab" he gasped, staring at the pup as if he could give him an answer. Surprisingly he got one as the pup whined upon hearing his words.

Norville bit down on his lip and looked away. He held the dog close to his chest once again, feeling unsure of what to do. He looked down at the Great Dane, who stared right back up. "I don't know, you don't have a collar or anything, so I guess no one owns you" he pondered. "Maybe I should take you back to the lab" the boy mumbled looking away and still sounding unsure.

"Ro!"

"Huh?" Norville exclaimed as his head quickly shot back to the pup whose eyes were wide with... worry? The ten year old had to blink a couple of times, because he could swear that the pup had placed his paw over his mouth.

He quickly shook his head and laughed nervously, deciding it was nothing more then his imagination. "Ro?" he grinned, "Man you have one strange bark old buddy" he followed with a very lighthearted laugh. Once again his sanity was questioned as the pup laughed along with him.

"Okay" he muttered to himself uneasily before allowing a silent moment to pass between the two. Sadly though, he knew that no matter how much time he let pass, he would eventually have to make a choice. Really he only had three options, and they all had their down sides.

"This sucks" he sighed, holding the curious Dane close once again. "I know you belong to the Science Lab, but if I take you back who knows what they'll do. I've heard a lot of stories about that place and the experiments they do in there. I should know, my dad wants me to work there" he moaned, lowering his gaze to the ground. The pup cocked its head to the side, like he was listening to everything he was saying.

"I mean... I could leave you here, so you didn't have to go back, but then you'd have nowhere to go, nowhere to eat. Plus it could be dangerous around here, I mean with the cars and stuff" Norville gasped, envisioning everything that could actually happen to that pup. He paused for a moment longer and the pup's eyes gazed wider at him, his small mouth slowly forming into a smile as he knew there was only one option left for the boy. An option he was hoping for.

"I suppose..." Norville thought, he looked down at the Dane, and there it was again. The big puppy eyes that could melt a body builders heart. The boy had to bite his lip, he knew that if his dad caught him it would be officially hell on earth... But... those eyes...

He just couldn't resist that look...

"Fine! Okay you win" he sighed, finally giving up the battle. The pups face lit up as he waited for the next part.

"As long as my dad doesn't find out" Norville said sternly, "I guess you could stay with me-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as the pup jumped from his arms, pushed the young boy to the ground with a thud and attacked the boy by slobbering all over his face.


End file.
